Snap up some snappers!

Though they don't get as big as some of the other fish Capt. Larry often catches, snappers are some of the tastiest fish in the Gulf.  Joey Dale is pictured to the left with two nice American red snappers.  Joey was using sardines in about 150 ft offshore of Anna Maria Island. The party caught their limit of red snappers, beautiful scamp, a myriad of red grouper and more sharks than you can shake a stick at!

Bill Rolston, from Bradenton, got to tap into the MANGROVE MANIA too!  He's pictured below holding a delicious  mangrove snapper he caught using a sardine in about 100 ft offshore of Anna Maria Island.  It's not the first time Bill has been fishing with Capt. Larry; he enjoyed his last adventures so much he came back for more!  In this most recent trip, his party also caught more snapper, battled (and won) some serious amberjack, and a 120 lb spinner shark. 

Frank Ditzig from Cleveland, Ohio is shown below with a delightful red snapper he caught using a sardine in about 135 ft offshore of Anna Maria Island. Frank and party also caught a busload of large red grouper, more snappers and a few sharks.  It's safe to say a good time was had by all!

If your fall activities aren't as exciting as fighting fish that could end up on your skillet, maybe it's time to reevaluate how you're spending your time & make an allowance in your schedule to get out on the water with Capt. Larry.  A wise man once said, happiness can be found at the end of a fishing line.  Get your line in the water & catch something worth talking about on facebook!

Capt. Larry McGuire

SHOW ME THE FISH CHARTERS
OPERATING OUT OF THE BRADENTON BEACH MARINA
Cell: (941) 720 - 6475
Email: Captlarrymcguire@gmail.com
facebook.com/ShowMeTheFish

The weather outside is frightful, but the fishing is so delightful

Cobia are here! They are certainly not bashful feeders, chowing down on food from the top to the bottom of the sea (hence why one of their names is "crabeater"), and on this trip, Larry Tinstra (left) caught a massive cobia while using pinfish.  He has been coming down every winter to stay on lovely Anna Maria Island for years, but this was the first time he'd seen or caught one of these monsters.  Mr. Tinstra also said that this was the largest fish he's ever caught!  


In other fishing excitement, mangrove snapper are where it's at!  Chumming has been bringing them around; they are wary fish- which is why they are harder to spearfish, as they aren't curious like other species of fish, and chumming seems to put them at ease.  Their wariness results in the mangrove snapper growing larger, which is certainly a good thing!  Below is Renee Robins with a monster mangrove snapper... she caught it using a live pinfish, in about 125 ft waters, offshore of Anna Maria Island.  Renee & her family also caught a plethora of gag & red grouper, barracuda, & shark while on their vacation fishing trip with Capt. Larry.  

When the cold winds blow from the north, a lot of the fish that swim closer to the surface migrate from places like Alabama to stay warm.  This is great news for us Florida Gulf fishers.   Take advantage of the weather to go out there & get you some of the action before it warms up!

Capt. Larry McGuire
SHOW ME THE FISH CHARTERS
OPERATING OUT OF THE BRADENTON BEACH MARINA
Cell: (941) 720 - 6475
Email: Captlarrymcguire@gmail.com
facebook.com/ShowMeTheFish

Go Deep To Beat The Summer Heat!

Offshore fishing has been and will continue to be great this summer in the West Central Florida area, with no signs of oil in the water or on the beaches in these parts. Monster red grouper are one of the hottest species this month, however the best action you'll find is out around 120 ft and deeper for those fire truck red grouper. Along with those champions of grouper, full of fight, we’ve been catching gag & scamp grouper, that will also leave your upper arms hurting the next day from reeling those bad boys in! We have also been getting snapper happy, catching American red, mangrove, yellowtail, & lane snapper. We’ve been finding those on the offshore reefs & wrecks, with tilefish, and mahi-mahi there also keeping that wide variety of snapper company. In those same areas, we've been catching many amberjacks, smoker kingfish, cobia, barracudas, and a myriad of large sharks lately.

We start out on Swiss cheese bottoms that range from 120-160 ft, using dead sardines and squid for best results on our red grouper trips. This combination of bait gets the red grouper’s appetite wetted, and then follow that meal up with live bait for dessert- such as pinfish, sand perch, and grunts…that's when we catch the serious monsters. Sometimes even our most fit anglers tap out, and many of the fishers on our boat need assistance or even a spotter to help get these ocean beasts off the bottom because of how much they weigh!

July and August are awesome months for deep water pelagic, especially bull dolphin. You can almost always catch schoolies 100ft out and deeper, but the bull mahi-mahi are usually farther out past 150 ft, which seems to be the hot zone of the month! We like to troll skirted bally-hoo at about 5 knots at this time of the year. Using that trolling method, you can certainly catch wahoo, billfish, and blackfin tuna... It's both exciting and intense! While trolling, I'm always watching my depth finder, and ferreting out new grouper and snapper spots… they are out there, sometimes right under your pole!

Below is Leah & Brent Brown of Bradenton with a large reef shark, caught off Anna Maria Island, using part of an amberjack that was bit in half by a barracuda attack!

As I mentioned in my last fishing report, red snapper will be out of season as of July 23, in state and Federal waters, so the clock is ticking & days dwindling when you’ll be able to catch these snapperlicious treats. Remember to stay hydrated and drink plenty of liquids, because that summer heat can catch you off guard & stop your fishing fun or other summer activities. Par for the course, it’s a hot summer, with offshore fishing being even hotter! So now is the time for you to come out and get ya' some, while the action is happening & the snapper can still be caught!

Thanks,
Capt. Larry McGuire
Show Me The Fish Charters
Located at the Cortez Fishing Center, Bradenton, FL
cell: (941) 720 - 6475 | email: captlarrymcguire@gmail.com